Combined safety razor and sharpening device



Oct. 31, 1933. v ARQNSON 1,932,386

COMBINED SAFETY RAZOR AND SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Sept. 16, 1951 INVENTOR 141 V: 14/01250/2 ATTORN EYS Patented Oct. 31, 1933 COMBINED SAFETY RAZOR AND SHARPENING DEVICE Louis V. Aronson, Newark, N. J., assignor to Art Metal Works, Inc., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 16, 1931 Serial No. 563,129

' 13 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved combined safety razor and sharpening device.

The objects of this invention include the provision of a combined safety razor and sharpening device which is simple inconstruction, easy to manufacture and convenient and efficient in use.

More specific objects of the invention include the provision of a combined support for a razor blade guard and sharpening device such as an abradant roller, together with provision for facilitating the movement of either the guard or the roller into proper cooperative position with respect to the edge of the blade as mounted in operative position on the razor; the provision of improved means for urging and adjusting the roller against the edge of the razor blade for sharpening purposes and for relatively positioning or adjusting the edge ofthe razor blade and the guard and securely holding them, in such relative position.

Other and more specific objects, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification and illustrate merely by way of example various embodiments of the apparatus.

The invention consists in such novel features arrangements and combinations of parts as may be shown and described in connection with the devices herein disclosed by way of example, as illustrative of preferred embodiments, together with such novel methods as may also be described herein.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational View of the combined safety razor and sharpening device with the guard in cooperative position with respect to the razor blade;

Fig. 2 is a side view looking toward the left in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the razor head with the sharpening device in cooperative position with respect to the razor blade;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view substantially on the line 5- -5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 shows the razor blade separated from its clamping means, and the razor blade seat;

and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of an alternative form of sharpening roller supporting means embodying certain features of the invention.

The embodiments shown in the drawing by way of illustration of the principles of the invention include a handle 10 which may be provided with gripping fiutesll, and milled flanges 12 and 13 by means of which the handle maybe securely gripped during shaving and honing operations and during adjusting operations.

Preferably rigidly secured to the handle 10 is a substantially rectangular head 14 which in cludes a bottom or base member 15, secured to the handle 10, side members 16 and 17, and a seat member 18 connected to or formed integral with said side members 16 and 1'7. It is preferred to form the side members 16 and 17 of the shape shown in the drawing for the purpose of making this part as light in weight as possible, and also to permit a light and compact arrangement of all the parts. To this end each of the members 16 and 17 are provided with ears 19 and 20, which are apertured to receive shafts referred to later. The side members 16 and 17 between the portion on which said ears are formed and the seat 18 comprise relatively narrow strips, as indicated at 21, of the general shape shown which offers a light weight construction giving ready access to, the inner parts for washing or cleaning, and also 7 yieldably supporting the seat 18 with respect to the ears 19 which are provided for the purpose of supporting the guard and sharpening roller, as will be described later.

The seat 18 is preferably flat, as shown, and is f provided at its rear edge with an upturned shallow flange 22, against which the rear edge of the safety razor blade 23 may be guided or seated when the blade is engaged behind a pair of pro-. jections or pins 24 in the seat 18. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the flange 22 is made of such a height as to project slightly above the upper face of the razor blade. In assembling the razor, the blade is placed on the seat, as indicated inv Fig. 6, after which another clamping member 25 of the general shape shown in Fig. 6 is applied, The rear edge of the clamping member is preferably bent downwardly, as shown at 26, to form a downwardly facing groove 2'7 and in the center and on the ends of the portion 26 are formed fingers 28 which may be of the general shape shown, the free ends of the fingers being preferably bent slightly away from the main body portion of the clamp,. as indicated in the various figures. As the clamp is applied the fingers 28 are bent away from the main body portion of the clamp and when the clamp is moved into the position, as indicated in Fig. 3, the spring tension of the fingers causes the clamp to assume the position therein indicated in which the downwardly .tained in the desired position,

facing groove 27 slips over and locks on the free end of the flange 22 on the seat 18. In this position of the clamping plate the fingers 23 are still under slight tension to hold the razor blade 23 securely on its seat 18.

The cars 19 in the side members 16 and 17, according to the embodiment shown carry afixed shaft acting as a bracing strut between the ears and also serving to freely support a hollow shaft 31 on which in turn is supported a pair of gears 32 preferably secured thereto and located respectively directly in contact with the ears l9 and to which may be connected side members 33 of a frame member which supports a blade guard 34 of any suitable construction, and which may be integral therewith if desired, and which also has connected thereto or preferably integral therewith a pair of roller supporting ears 35 in which the shaft or pivoting pins of a sharpening roller 36 may be journaled. The sharpening roller may, for example, comprise a cylinder formed of any suitable molded plastic composition embodying an abradant material. If desired, the

roller may be formed with a raised spiral surface area as shown for efficient sharpening.

Cooperating with the gears 32 are gear segments 3'! which preferably are secured to a hollow shaft 33 which is rotatably carried on a fixed shaft or strut 38, the latter in turn being supported in the ears 20 ofthe side members 16 and 17. Connected centrally to the shaft 38 is an arm 39 which is pivotally connected to a plunger or operating rod 40 which extends through the handle 10. The lower end of the plunger 40 may be provided with a shoulder 41 and a collar 42 between which is rotatably mounted a plug 43 which has a screw threaded engagement with the handle 10. The upper end of the plug 43 is preferably provided with a knurled flange 44, asshown, forming a finger piece. 7 I

By advancing the plug 43 the rod 40 will be lifted and the gear segments 37 rotated clockwise, which causes the gears 32 and the ears 35 supporting the sharpening roller, to move counterclockwise to move the roller from the position shown in Fig. 3 into the position shown in Fig. 5. When it is in this position the razor blade may be sharpened by rotating the roller 36 as by engagement with the palm of the hand of the user. The amount of movement which may be 7 given to the sharpening roller support in a counterclockwise direction is preierablylimited as by a pair of pins 48 whichcooperate with the gear segments 37-, as indicated in Fig. 5.

The flexible construction of the blade supporting portions 21 of the side members 16 and 1'? is such that when the roller 36 is moved into engagement with the razor blade, toward the position in which it is limited by the pins 45,

contact between the roller 36 and the razor blade will slightly tension the parts 21, as well as the razor blade, so that the razor blade edge ;will be uniformly and yieldably pressed against the roller to efiiciently perform the sharpening operation. The amount of pressure may, of course, be regulated by moving the roller into different positions, the parts being held and mainby the threaded plug 43.

After the sharpening operation has been performed, the plug 43 is retracted from the position shown in Fig. 5 tothe position shown'in Fig. 3,

' which moves the guard'and roller from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 3, whereby the guard and the edge of the razor blade are brought into cooperative position. For the purpose of insuring that these parts are in the proper cooperative position, when the plug 43 has been retracted as far as possible, the side members 33 of the frame supporting the guard and roller are preferably provided with pins 45 which cooperate with substantially v shaped slots 45 in the ends 47 of members which are integral with the portions 21. As the pins 45 are moved into the slots 46 they will move the seat 18 and the razor blade will be carried thereby downwardly slightly into the proper cooperative position, this movement being permitted by means of the members 21 which constitute a yielding connection between the seat 18 and the main body of the razor head. The pins 45 also limit the movement of the guard in a clockwise direction. If desired, however, the operating position of the guard in respect to the blade may be adjusted slightly by varying the position of the screw plug 43.

As shown in Fig. 5, when the roller 35 is moved into the position for sharpening action, the pressure against the blade may raise the blade together with the clamping member 25 which may pivot slightly about the flange 22 on the seat 18, so that the forward edge of the clamping member is pressed by means of the spring fingers 28 against the body of the blade placing the blade under tension and holding it against the roller. as the roller moves into the position shown in Fig. 5, the portions 21 may flex variably in order to align the edge of the razor blade with the =1 roller so that every point on the edge of the blade will be in cooperative engagement with the roller, thus insuring that the entire edge of the blade will be uniformly shapened.

In Fig. 7, I have shown a somewhat difierent 1 form of sharpening roller and mounting means which, however, is adaptable to the construction above described. In this embodiment a sharpening roller 49 may be provided at its ends with metal inserts as at 59 for engaging pivoting pins as at 51 and supported respectively by members 52 and 53. It will be noted that the axis of rotation of the roller 59 is somewhat off-center in respect to the roller whereby the sharpening roller whenoperated will have substantially the :2-

same effect as would a somewhat elliptical roller. The off-center position of the axis is exaggerated in Fig. '7, but it has been found that preferably such off-center relationship should be sufficient to cause different areas around the circumfer- I once of the roller to engage the blade at slightly different pressures, with the result that because of the yieldable mounting of the blade edge, the angle at which the blade engages the sharpening surface will also be slightly variable. In order to permit ready removal and replacement of the roller 49, the pivoting pin 55 is shown as mounted upon a yieldable member 54, whereby the pin may be withdrawn to a sufficient extent to permit the roller to be removed and r placed, as for exf ample by a new roller or by rollers having finer or coarser abradant compositions, depending upon the nature of the sharpening action desired with any particular blade. When the spring member 54 is used, in order to provide suitable clearance,

the adjacent one of the members 47, or a portion thereof, may be cut away to the extent necessary.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect to certain preferred forms thereof, I do not desire to be limited to such forms or details, since many changes and modific'ations may be made and the improvements embodied in widely different forms without departing from the spirit and'scope of the invention in its broader aspects. Hence, I desire to cover all modifications and forms coming within the language of any one or more of the appended claims. I

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a hollow handle, a razor head secured to said handle, a razor blade supporting seat on said head, a guard, a sharpening roller, a common support for said guard and sharpening roller, and means for moving said support to carry said guard toward the edge of a razor blade supported on said seat to estabish cooperation for shaving, the support being constructed so that the sharpening roller is moved into the razor head as the guard is moved into position, said means operating to move said guard away from said razor blade and to move said roller into cooperative position with respect to said blade.

2. The combination of a hollow handle, a razor head secured to said handle, a razor blade supporting seat on said head, a guard, a sharpening roller, a common support for said guard and sharpening roller, means for moving said support to carry said guard toward the edge of a razor blade supported on said seat to establish cooperation for shaving, the support being constructed so that the sharpening roller is moved .into the razor head as the guard is moved into position, said means operating to move said guard away from said razor blade and to move said roller into cooperative position with respect to said blade, means extending through the handle, a plunger extending through the handle for operating said support, and means located at the end of the handle for operating said plunger.

3. The combination of ahollow. handle, a razor" head secured to said handle, a razor blade supporting seat on said head, a guard, a sharpening roller, a common support for said guard and sharpening roller, means for moving said support to carry said guard toward the edge of a razor blade supported on said seat to establish cooperation for shaving, the support being constructed so that the sharpening roller is moved into the razor head as the guard is moved into position, said means operating to move said guard away from said razor blade and to move said roller into cooperative position with respect to said blade, means extending through the handle, a plunger extending through the handle for operating said support, and means located at the end of the handle for operating said plunger, said means comprising a plug rotatably mounted on said plunger and threadedly engaging said handle, and cooperative means on said plug and plunger for preventing relative longitudinal movement between said plug and plunger.

4. The combination of a hollow handle, a sub stantially rectangular open head secured on said handle, a razor blade supporting seat on said head, a guard, a sharpening roller, a common a connection between said plunger and frame for moving the guard and roller into and out of cooperative position with respect to a razor blade supported on said seat, and means on said head and frame for positively spacing a razor blade supported on said seat from said guard when moved into cooperative position.

6. The combination with a handle of a razor head supported thereon, and including side walls 7 comprising portions yieldable in the plane of the side walls, a razor blade supporting seat carried by said portions, a sharpening roller, means for supporting said sharpening roller for movement into and out of cooperative relation with respect to a razor blade carried by said seat, the parts being constructed so that as the roller is moved into cooperative position the yieldable portions may be flexed to insure contact between the entire edge of the razor blade and the sharpening device.

7. The combination with a handle, a razor blade supporting seat supported with respect to said handle, a movably mounted sharpening roller adapted to move into and out of cooperative position with respect to a razor blade on said seat, a clamping plate for said razor blade mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the rear edge of said seat, spring means for moving said clamping plate toward said seat, the parts being proportioned so that as the roller is moved into cooperative position with the razor blade the clamping plate will be pivoted against said spring means whereby the razor blade will be flexed and spring-pressed against said roller.

8. The combination of a handle, a razor head.

supported thereon, a razor blade supporting seat on said head, a guard member, a sharpening device, means for moving said guard member and sharpening device alternately into cooperating position with a razor blade on said seat, and an advancing and retracting screw for moving said guard and device into cooperative position and for adjusting the same, said screw functioning to hold the device or guard in such adjusted position.

9. The combination with a hollow razor handle, a razor head secured thereto and including a razor blade supporting seat, means for movably supporting a guard and a sharpening device for alternate movement into and out of cooperative position with respect to a razor blade on said seat, and. means extending through said handle and accessible from the free end of the handle for moving said supporting means to move said guard and device into and out of cooperative relation with a razor blade on said seat.

10. The combination of a handle, a razor blade supporting seat supported on said handle, a guard, a sharpening roller, a common support for said guard and sharpening roller movably supported on said handle providing for movement of either said guard or said sharpening roller into cooperative relation with the edge of a razor blade supported on said seat.

11. The combination of a handle, a razor blade supporting seat yieldably supported for movement with respect to the handle, a guard, a sharpening roller, a common support for said guard and sharpening roller movably supported with respect to said handle for moving either the sharpening roller or the guard into cooperative relation With respect to a' razor blade supported on said seat, and cooperating means between said support and said seat for controlling the relation of a razor blade supported on said seat to said guard when the same are in cooperative relation.

12. In a safety razor, a handle, a razor head comprising a bottom plate secured to said handle, side plate members rigidly connected at right angular relation to said bottom plate and constructed of spring material to yield in their respective planes, and a razor blade seat rigidly connected to the outer ends of said side plate members. 7

r 13. In a safety razor, a handle, a razor head comprising a bottom plate secured to said handle, side plate members rigidly connected at right angular relation to said bottom plate and constructed of spring material to yield in their respective planes, a razor blade seat rigidly connected to the outer ends of said side plate members, and a sharpening roller supported adjacent the free edge of a razor blade supported on said seat and mounted on an axis in oiT-center relationship with the roller surface.

LOUIS V. ARONSON. 

